A Health and Fitness Blog

The other day I was training a client who in training with me twice a week (and of course making the appropriate dietary changes) has seen some very nice declines in body fat and increases in lean muscle mass. While she was working out, she mentioned a friend who trains everyday, and wanted to know if she should be working out more as well.

The first question I asked her was: “Is your friend seeing results?” The answer: “No, and she doesn’t understand why.”

The reason?

Because more does not equal better. Resistance training is a “controlled detriment”. When you resistance train you are in fact breaking down muscle. All the benefits of resistance training happen when you are resting between workouts, not during your workouts. Over-training simply leads to the continued breakdown of lean muscle tissue. In addition, over-training leads to the release of stress hormones such as Cortisol. We know that Cortisol is responsible for increased abdominal fat. This is all obviously counter-effective to building lean muscle, reducing body fat, and gaining strength.

We also know (as I stated in a previous post) that the reduction of body fat has nothing to do with exercise. It is hormonal: eating too many carbohydrates (sugar) leads to sudden increases in the production of insulin which in turn leads to body fat storage. You must change what you eat to see a reduction in body fat.

More does not equal better. When it comes to exercise and nutrition, you should always choose quality over quantity.

“Acknowledging the good that is already in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” – Eckhart Tolle

This wonderful quote from Eckhart Tolle can be applied to every facet of a person’s life. After reading this quote yesterday, I started thinking about it application to health and fitness.

When someone begins exercising, they will normally do so with certain goals in mind. It might be to reduce body fat, increase lean muscle, prepare for an athletic event, or to simply feel better. Whatever the goal(s) may be, it can be an extremely challenging and uphill battle if you are surrounded by a cloud of negativity that follows you everywhere. Achieving your goal(s) might be something that not only never get accomplished, or if they do, may never be realized. Let me give you an example…

I was recently training a client over a 6 month period. The goals of this individual were to reduce body fat, increase lean body mass, gain strength, and feel better overall. From the very beginning it was quite obvious that this was an extremely negative person. That being said, I welcomed the challenge of working through this negativity and helping this person achieve all of their desired goals.

Whether I offered positive reinforcement, advice, insight, or even good news that they were starting to achieve these goals, I was met with more resistance and more negativity every step of the way. Despite all of this, my client still made the proper nutritional changes and showed up consistently to put forth a strong effort in their workouts. This resulted in some pretty amazing achievements.

At the end of 6 months of training, my client had dropped from 245 pounds to 237 pounds. They increased their Lean Body Mass from 165 pounds to 186 pounds, decreased Body Fat from 80 pounds to 51 pounds (the drop of only 8 pounds of body weight is explained by the increase in lean muscle), and their Body Fat Percentage went from 33% to to 22%. Keep in mind that in order to accomplish this, there had to be major changes to their eating habits. In addition, their strength increased substantially based on the charting. These are all spectacular results by any standards.

Yet despite all of this, my client felt overwhelmingly negative. In their mind, they still were not seeing results and were not happy. They did not feel stronger, healthier, leaner, or even better in general. All they felt was the feeling of negativity. I could literally feel the negative energy emanating from them.

The inability of this person to acknowledge the good in their life, the abundance they already had, the amazing results they had achieved, shrouded them in a cloud of negativity that they simply could not see through. When all was said in done, the client decided to take some time off in the hopes of (in their words) gaining some perspective and maybe realizing the results they had achieved. It is my belief that this client will never return. The perspective they are looking for is already within them.

You must be positive to see positive results. Otherwise, you might be missing out on what is already right in front of you.

About

Neil Holland is certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine as a Personal Trainer. Since 2003, he has been helping people realize their physical fitness potential, so they can enjoy a healthier lifestyle and a higher quality of life.